Statistics New Zealand user needs consultant Michael Berry
talks about the 2013 census at the Regent Theatre in
Dunedin. Photo by Jane Dawber.
About 20 Dunedin community groups were told on Thursday
morning why they should encourage people to complete next
year's census.
Statistics New Zealand user needs consultant Michael Berry
told the meeting at the Regent Theatre said the census was
important because it showed change over time.
The 1901 census asked how many domestic servants a household
employed, he said.
A later census asked if the household owned a television or
washing machine. Although that question had been dropped, the
coming census asked about internet access.
The collected information could help determine billions of
dollars of government funding in the community, he said.
The question about the number of rooms in the house helped
identify regions with overcrowding, so health services could
be provided to those most at risk from the spread of
meningococcal disease, he said.
A common mistake in filling in the census were students
writing their city of residence as their parents' address
rather than the city where they studied for most of the year.
The questions most commonly bypassed were on Maori descent
and iwi affiliation, which were important for Treaty of
Waitangi settlement claims, he said.
The question about total income earned was also bypassed, but
every question was asked for a reason, he said.
The census was planned for March so census staff had more
daylight hours to work in.
-shawn.mcavinue@odt.co.nz
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